Subject Areas |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation |
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World History - Europe |
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Time Required |
| One to two class periods for each of eight lessons |
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Skills |
| primary document analysis
critical thinking
graphic representation of information
collaboration
brainstorming
information gathering
summarizing
analysis
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Date Posted |
| 5/21/2002 |
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What Was Columbus Thinking?
Introduction
Who was Christopher Columbus? Variously regarded as: one of the
greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a
failed administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist.
-- from The Library of Congress' 1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE
Columbus remains one of the most studied yet least known of major
historical figures. In 1492, Columbus sailed...
Most students recognize the name Christopher Columbus. They may be aware
that his voyages ushered in the first period of sustained contact between Europeans
and the Americas and its people. They may not know, however, why Columbus
traveled to the New World or what happened to the native people he encountered.
In this lesson, students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals,
as well as recent considerations of his achievements. Students reflect on the
motivations behind Columbus's explorations, his reactions to what he found and
the consequences, intended and unintended, of his endeavor.
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students
will be able to: - Identify three stated aims of Columbus's voyages.
-
Characterize changes in Columbus's purposes in writing the documents studied.
- Describe the native peoples Europeans encountered and the results of their
contact.
- Compare the goals of early European exploration with the results.
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
- Before you begin to teach this unit, review the
suggested lesson plans. Download and duplicate as necessary the Columbus documents
and any articles you will use. If desired, mark the pertinent excerpts, or bookmark
pages online that students will use. (See Selected Links to EDSITEment Websites for a complete listing of documents.)
-
It is very important to help students understand the historical context of this
topic. An excellent brief overview of the historical context of Columbus's voyages,
the native cultures of the New World and the aftermath of sustained European contact
is available through EDSITEment at the Library of Congress' online exhibition
1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE
.
The complete ENCARTA entry on Columbus is available online at
Columbus and the Age of Discovery . A tutorial with extensive information
for contextualizing Columbus's voyage in terms of the larger world of the Renaissance
is available through EDSITEment at
The End of Europe's Middle Ages . Notes to
the Teacher - This teaching unit includes several suggested activities
that can be used individually as lesson plans, or presented in sequence as a complete
unit that will help students fully grasp the impact of Columbus's voyage to the
New World. Each suggested activity will take approximately one to two class periods
to present, or more time if explored in greater detail.
- In this
unit, students will work with primary source documents written by Christopher
Columbus around the time of his voyage to the New World, and with secondary source
documents written at a later date. They also have a chance to write their own
secondary source material in this unit. Using both primary and secondary source
documents within a single unit gives students an opportunity to see the difference
between these two types of documents. You may wish to have students work alone
or in small groups to read and interpret these documents. Groups could be based
on areas of interest (especially for analyzing the scholarly documents), or could
allow students with stronger reading skills to help others work through the source
documents.
- You may wish to provide students with a copy of the
Written Document Analysis Worksheet , available through EDSITEment at
The Digital Classroom , to guide them as they review the primary source documents
written by Columbus.
If time or other constraints do not permit you to
teach the entire unit, simply reviewing the primary source documents written by
Columbus (lessons 1 through 4) can provide a very interesting look at the historical
context surrounding Columbus's voyage through a perspective that will be new to
many students - Columbus's own. - Each document in this unit could
be read by the whole class or by a small group, which would report back its findings.
When reading primary sources, keep in mind issues of point of view. Help students
understand that documents written by Columbus could slant interpretation in a
particular direction. The same is true of documents about native peoples of America,
since these were written by Europeans.
- The desire to bring Christianity
to native peoples was essential to European exploration. It is a topic that cannot
be ignored in discussions of Columbus; however, the issues raised need sensitive
handling.
Guiding Question: What were the
intentions behind Columbus's voyages of exploration? What were the consequences
in the lives of Native Americans and Europeans?
Suggested Activities
...the Ocean Blue:
Preparing Students for the Unit
Lesson 1: Dear Diary
Lesson 2: Dear Europe
Lesson 3: Dear Ferdinand and Isabella
Lesson 4: What was Columbus Thinking?
Lesson 5: Looking Back at Columbus
Lesson 6: Organizing Facts and Findings
Lesson 7: But Instead...
Lesson 8: Learning About Columbus
Extending the Lesson
...the Ocean Blue: Preparing Students for the Unit The
class should brainstorm a list of previously learned facts about Columbus's voyages
of discovery. Columbus did not discover America. It had already been
visited by Vikings and British fishermen. The so-called New World was already
inhabited by a variety of people, some of whom had developed complex societies
and technologies. Then why is Columbus so well remembered today? How did the world
change as a result of his voyages? Make a list of student ideas to refer to at
the end of the lesson. Let students know that they will gather information
about what Columbus was intending and then work in small groups to focus on one
result of Columbus's voyages. In that way, the class will compile a lot of information
for analysis.
Lesson 1 Dear Diary
Students will read from
Columbus's journal of his voyage of 1492, available through EDSITEment from
the Internet Medieval Sourcebook. Of special interest are the following:
- The introduction -- a restatement of the purpose of the voyage as explained
to the King and Queen of Spain -- primarily the sentence beginning, "Your Highnesses,
as Catholic Christians, and princes who love and promote the holy Christian faith...";
- The entry for October 11, the day of the discovery;
- Excerpts from the
entries for October 13, 16 and 21 for descriptions of the Native Americans Columbus
encountered.
What seemed of particular interest to Columbus on his voyage?
What were his impressions of the places he visited? What ideas did he have about
what might happen next?
Lesson 2 Dear Europe Students will read a
letter written by Columbus in May 1493 , available from the Osher Map Library
of the University of Southern Maine. Columbus used this letter to publicize his
successful voyage; it became a sort of best-seller throughout Europe. It contains
descriptions of the peoples he encountered. Of special interest are the five paragraphs
beginning with, "There are besides in the said island Juana...," as well as the
last two paragraphs. What did Columbus emphasize in publicizing his journey?
Lesson 3 Dear Ferdinand and
Isabella
In this
Letter to the King and Queen of Spain , circa 1494, Columbus lists his recommendations
about how Spain should proceed, including his suggestion that the area he encountered
be systematically colonized. The letter is fairly brief; especially pertinent
are points 1, 4, 5 and 9. What does Columbus emphasize about what he saw and what
should happen next?
Lesson 4 What was Columbus
thinking?
After students have read each document, discuss the
following: - Who was the intended audience for this document?
- When
was the document written?
- Does Columbus seem to have a goal in mind in creating
this document? Is it intended to persuade the reader, emphasize a point, share
information or some other purpose?
- What details are described in this document?
- Can students identify a primary message in this document?
Working in
small groups or individually, students should write their answers to these questions
for use in comparing the documents with each other. Now, in a group or
as a class, have students compare the three documents. Ask students to compare
their analyses of the individual documents. How do they differ? Are there any
similarities? Ask students to reconsider the following: - What does Columbus
emphasize in his journal as the purpose of his journey? Does this purpose seem
to change in the later documents?
- What details seem to interest Columbus
as he describes the first days of discovery? Does his interest change as his journey
progresses?
- What other changes can students identify between the documents?
Can students propose a hypothesis that would explain these changes?
Students
should make and post statements summarizing what Columbus found (for example,
natives with a simple technology) and a list of outcomes Columbus believed would
come as a result of his journey (for example, he stated that the natives he met
would make good servants).
Lesson 5 Looking Back at Columbus
Now the students will find out the effects of Columbus's voyages according
to scholars by reading brief excerpts from specially chosen articles. Divide the
class into groups to be assigned any or all of the following areas of research
(topics can be duplicated among groups if desired). Each group should have at
least one strong reader. Students can use information from the following sources,
as well as texts and online sources of their own choosing. In reviewing
an article, students need only read those sections containing the specific information
they are researching. A brief guide has been provided for each article. -
Foods and Plants: A variety of new foods and
plants were introduced from Europe to the Americas and from the Americas to Europe.
Students should concentrate on naming such plants and flowers.
SOURCE:
"The Gardeners of Eden: a bouquet of exotic flowers was one trophy
of European expansion" by Samuel M. Wilson. [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/WILSON08.ART]
GUIDE TO THE ARTICLE: Read the passage from "Many of the New World's most
spectacular contributions..." to "Europeans' gardens began to fill with the exotic
flowers of Africa, Asia, and, eventually, the Americas." Find the names of fruits,
grains, vegetables and other plants that were common during this time period.
Which started in the New World? Which started in the Old? What, if any, changes
in where plants grew occurred after Columbus voyages? For information
about the gardens the Aztecs had when the Europeans arrived, read from "The sixteenth-century
chronicler Fernando de Alva Ixtilochitl..." to "So no bird, fish or animal of
the whole country was wanting here they were either alive of figured in gold and
gems." - Disease: Diseases introduced
by the Europeans ravaged native populations. Only one disease migrated from the
New World to the Old.
SOURCE:
"The Great Disease Migration" by Geoffrey Cowley from Newsweek (Special Issue,
Fall/Winter 1991, pp. 54-56) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/COWLEY01.ART]
GUIDE TO THE ARTICLE: Read the section beginning "Many experts now believe
that the New World was home to 40 million to 50 million people before Columbus
arrived," to "by germs." Then read from "By the time Columbus arrived, groups
like the Aztecs and Maya" to "any Indian who received news of the Spaniards could
also have easily received the infection." Find out what diseases were particularly
damaging to the people of the New World. -
Native Americans Encountered by Columbus: Columbus only met peoples with
very simple technologies. However, America was home to a number of complex cultures
that would have their own encounters with Europeans. What cultures and technologies
did Columbus himself encounter in the New World? How were these cultures changed?
SOURCE:
"The Lost Worlds of Ancient America" by Melinda Beck, from Newsweek (Special
Issue, Fall/Winter 1991, pp. 24-26) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/COWLEY01.ART]
GUIDE TO THE ARTICLE: Read the introduction and the section "Mesoamerica"
to create a list of the accomplishments of these "lost worlds." Look especially
for mentions of buildings, inventions and scientific achievements. Why do you
think the author calls them "lost worlds"? SOURCE:
"Rumors of Cannibals" by Dave D. Davis in Archaeology (January/February 1992,
p. 49) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/DAVIS-D1.ART] GUIDE
TO THE ARTICLE: Read the first three paragraphs. Were the Carib people (also known
as Caribe and Canima) cannibals? What happened because the Spanish thought they
were cannibals? SOURCE:
"Columbus, My Enemy" (A Caribbean chief resists the first Spanish invaders)
by Samuel M. Wilson in Natural History (December 1990, pp. 44-49) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/WILSON02.ART]
GUIDE TO THE ARTICLE: Read from "Two years earlier" to "By 1497, after two
years of epidemics and famine following the arrival of the Spaniards, the other
chiefs were pushing Guarionex to put up some resistance." Did the Taino
have reasons to be afraid of the Spanish? What did the they agree to do for the
Spanish to keep the peace? Why were the other chiefs pushing Guarionex to fight
the Spanish? How successful was Guarionex? Now read from "Bartolome staged
a midnight raid on the surrounding villages" to "gave them their king and other
leaders." Lastly, read the paragraph beginning "The impact of the Europeans'
arrival was felt differently on other islands of the Caribbean," for a summary
of what happened to various native peoples. SOURCE: Excerpt from
"What Columbus Discovered" by Kirkpatrick Sale in The Nation (October 22,
1990, pp. 444-446) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/SALE-03.ART]
GUIDE TO THE ARTICLE: Read from "Take, for example, the Taino" up to "are
gentle and are always laughing." Then read the paragraph beginning, "Do not ask,
by the way, what happened to those gentle Taino...." What were the Taino
people like before the Europeans arrived? Learn about their houses, transportation,
crops and way of life. What happened to them? Why does the author say, "Do not
ask ... what happened to those gentle Taino?" -
Christianity: Columbus declared he was sailing west "to see the said princes,
people, and territories, and to learn their disposition and the proper method
of converting them to our holy faith." How successful were the Spanish in converting
the native peoples?
SOURCE:
"How Did Native Americans Respond to Christianity?" by Thomas S. Giles in
Christian History Issue 35 (Vol. XI, No. 3) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/GILES-01.ART]
GUIDE TO THE ARTICLE: Read the introduction and the first paragraph of the
section "Holding to the ancient faith." What were some ways the Europeans tried
to convert the native peoples? What are some ways the native peoples responded?
Read from "In a letter in 1601, Brother Juan de Escalona laments" to "The
true God, the true Dios, came, but this was the origin too of affliction for us."
What do students think was the main reason the Europeans had trouble converting
native peoples? Now read from "What about those Indians who responded
positively to the Christian faith?" to "Because these go about poorly dressed
and barefoot just like us; they eat what we eat; they settle among us...." What
made some missionaries successful? Additional information on a number of these
topics can be found at
1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE .
Europe Claims America: The Atlantic Joined provides a brief summary of the
effects of the arrival of the Europeans. Also available through
Columbus and the Age of Discovery : -
"The Seeds of Change" by Herman J. Viola in OAH Magazine of History (Vol.
5, No. 4, Spring 1991, pp. 31-32) [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/VIOLA-01.ART],
a summary of changes initiated by the arrival of the Europeans.
Lesson 6 Organizing Facts and
Findings
After completing their research, each group should prepare
items for posting on a large graphic organizer designed to display the facts students
learned. The class could decide, on the basis of the information at hand, exactly
how to design the organizer. For example, the migration of food and plants or
of diseases could be represented through text and/or pictures organized in the
form of a chart with four columns: Before Columbus (In Europe), Before Columbus
(In America), After Columbus (In Europe), After Columbus (In America) . When this
project is completed, each group can present its findings to the rest of the class,
using the graphic organizer to illustrate what they learned.
Lesson 7 But Instead...
Events don't always turn out the way one expects. As a culminating activity,
have the class brainstorm and list many appropriate statements about expectations
and outcomes in the following form: Columbus (or "Europeans" or "Native
Americans") __________ ______________________________________________, but
_________________________________________________. For example, students
might say: "Columbus thought he had discovered a new route to the Indies,
but he had really traveled to what we now call the Americas." "Columbus
thought the natives 'would be good servants,' but trying to make slaves out of
them was so unsuccessful that eventually Spain imported slaves from Africa."
"Columbus encountered natives living with a simple technology, but civilizations
with advanced technologies also lived in the Americas." Post the statements.
As the students continue to study other events in history, especially meetings
of disparate cultures, such as the colonial settlers and the Native Americans,
they should note the effects of these encounters, both intended and unintended.
Lesson 8 Learning About Columbus
At the beginning of this lesson, students listed some of the ways the
world changed after Columbus's voyage to the New World. Review this list with
students. How would their list be different now if asked the same question? What
should be added? Removed? Students had learned some things about Columbus
before this lesson. Based on what they have learned during this lesson,
do students recommend any changes in the information young people are taught about
Columbus? Changes in our celebration of Columbus Day?
Extending the Lesson - If students found their list of changes
significantly different at the end of the lesson, some might be interested in
writing, for teachers of young people, a set of guidelines for teaching about
Columbus and/or for observing Columbus Day. Share the guidelines with the appropriate
teachers.
- Have students perform a textual analysis of the three
primary source documents they studied to find the number of references to the
following words:
- gold
- spice(s)
- Christ or Christian (NOTE:
In a search for the word "Christ," "Christian" will also be found as will "Christopher"
unless otherwise specified. Count the instances of Christ and Christian only.)
Copy and paste each document to its own word processing file. Use the word count
tool to count the number of words in each document; then use the "search" tool
to find and count the number of references to the words listed above. (Students
may also search for key words of their own choosing, based on their studies of
Columbus's writings.) Determine the percentage of times any particular
word occurs by dividing the number of occurrences by the total number of words
in a document and multiplying by 100. What can be concluded from the
differences in percentages? Why would Columbus's emphasis have changed? Consider
the audience as well as the purpose of the document. Have students consider the
following questions based on their search results:
-
Gold: Is there a change in how often gold is mentioned? Was there a change
in the quest for gold?
- Spices: One
goal of finding another route to India was to make the trade in spices easier.
How prominent was that goal in Columbus's writing?
-
Christ or Christian: Columbus began his journal by stating that the purpose
of his voyage was to meet the people of India "to learn their disposition and
the proper method of converting them to our holy faith," the Christian religion.
Did the prominence of this goal change as evidenced by Columbus's writing?
- What can students find out about the encounters other explorers had with
native peoples? How did their experiences compare with that of Columbus? Information
on various explorers may be found at the following sites:
1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE , an Exhibit of the Library of Congress.
Discoverer's Web , a link
from Columbus and the Age of Discovery
, an impressive source of primary and secondary documents relating to voyages
of discovery and exploration.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Additional Resources The following resources can be reached
through links available from EDSITEment-approved websites.
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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